Michigan
Minnesota
U-M Rallies but Falls Short at No. 9 Minnesota to Open Big Ten Play
9/24/2021 11:59:00 PM | Volleyball
» Down 2-0 in the match, Michigan rallied for two set wins to force a fifth set.
» Jess Mruzik and Paige Jones each finished with 18 kills.
» Michigan out-blocked Minnesota 11 to 8.
» Scottee Johnson finished with 46 assists.
Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (Maturi Pavilion)
Score: #9 Minnesota 3, Michigan 2 (25-20, 25-17, 23-25, 19-25, 15-11)
Records: MINN (6-3, 1-0 B1G), U-M (7-3, 0-1 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Sept. 26 -- vs. Michigan State (Crisler Center), 1 p.m.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The University of Michigan volleyball team opened Big Ten Conference play with the tall task of taking on No. 9-ranked Minnesota on Friday night (Sept. 24). The Wolverines battled back from down two sets to fall in five (20-25, 17-25, 25-23, 25-19, 11-15) to the Golden Gophers at Maturi Pavilion.
Senior Paige Jones and sophomore Jess Mruzik led the way for Michigan (7-3, 0-1 Big Ten), each finishing with 18 kills. Jones garnered a double-double with 10 digs, while Mruzik had a well-rounded performance with 14 digs, four total blocks and an ace. Joining the fray was junior May Pertofsky, who had 15 kills and hit .361 in addition to four total blocks.
After a slow start through the first two sets, Michigan came out firing in the third to start the comeback. The two teams locked in a battle as the back-and-forth clash saw 11 ties and six lead changes, but the Wolverines stood strong in the end to win 25-23. The pins carried the offense, as Mruzik had six of her 18 kills in the set and Jones added five of her 18.
The fourth set was more of the same for the Wolverines, as Mruzik and Jones repeated their six- and five-kill performances, respectively, and junior May Pertofsky added four kills on eight swings. The offense rolled to a .375 attack percentage, while holding Minnesota to a .163 mark in the set as U-M cruised to a 25-19 victory.
In the decisive fifth set, the teams were knotted at 7 in another great fight, but Minnesota took a slim lead into the set break and never let it go, walking away with the 15-11 win over Michigan. The Wolverines hit .300 in the set, but the Golden Gophers had just two errors and hit .368.
The Wolverines fell behind the Golden Gophers early in the first set and never fully recovered, ultimately falling 25-20. After Minnesota built a five-point lead, U-M trailed by only two at 20-18. The home team responded with a 5-2 run to finish off the set.
Michigan faced similar struggles in the second set, as Minnesota got ahead early and held off every rally the Maize and Blue mounted. The Wolverines cut the Gophers' lead to just five, but the rally came too late and the set finished 25-17.
Dropping the match leaves U-M 1-2 in five-set matches this fall.
Sophomore setter Scottee Johnson had 46 assists and a season-best 19 digs, while freshman Jacque Boney once again led the Wolverines' blocking attack, finishing with five (one solo block, four block assists). Redshirt sophomore Hannah Grant (20) led five Wolverines with double-figure digs, while junior Amber Beals added a career-best 12.
The Wolverines finished with more blocks (11 to eight) than the Gophers, but fell short in attack percentage (.221 to .206), assists (64-59) and aces (6-1).
The Wolverines turn their focus to in-state rival Michigan State, as the Spartans come to town Sunday (Sept. 26) for a 1 p.m. showdown in Crisler Center. The match will be a Maize Out, with the first 1,000 fans receiving maize pom poms. The match will be streamed live on B1G+.
